Patna: More than 4.80 lakh candidates will take the BPSC’s 70th Combined Competitive (Prelims) examination at 912 centres made in 36 districts of the state on Friday. There are 64 test centres in the state capital, and the two-hour examination will be held in offline mode from 12noon to 2pm.
The BPSC aims to fill nearly 2000 Group A and B officer positions in various departments of the state govt through this examination. The preliminary test will be held in general studies. There will be 150 multiple-choice questions in the paper based on the syllabus prescribed by the BPSC.
BPSC’s deputy secretary, Kundan Kumar, said necessary preparations for the peaceful conduct of the examination have already made by the authorities concerned. “The district officials have been requested to ensure that examination is conducted under tight security arrangements, and maintain law and order in and around the test centres. Around 30,000 CCTV cameras and jammers were already installed at the centres,” he said.
He said that the entry of candidates inside the exam centres would be allowed from 9.30 am to 11am, i.e., up to an hour before the commencement of the test. Candidates would be required to take their allotted seats by 11am so that their biometric attendance and facial recognition may be completed well in time before the exam. An adequate number of police and magistrates would be deployed at all the centres, he said.
According to the instructions issued for the appearing candidates on BPSC’s website, candidates are advised not to carry electronic devices such as cellphones, bluetooth, Wi-Fi gadgets, electronic pens, pagers, smart watches, etc., into the exam hall. If any candidate is found with electronic devices, it will be considered misconduct. Furthermore, using a marker, white fluid, blade, or eraser is also prohibited. If any student uses them on the OMR sheet, a 1/3 mark will be deducted as a penalty.
The instructions further state that if candidates are found indulging in malpractice or possessing electronic devices in the exam hall, they will be banned from the BPSC examinations for the next five years. In case of spreading misleading or sensational rumours related to the exam centre, they will be debarred from examinations for three years. If the candidates are found involved in misconduct during the exam, punitive action will be taken against them under the Bihar Examination Conducting Act, 1981.
Candidates were already advised to download their admit cards from the official website of BPSC using their username and password, and it is mandatory for the candidates to carry their admit card to the designated examination centre.